It had been 20 months since I sold Strikhedonia (now Fly Aweigh II) and I was lucky enough to get invited on Gato Loco (Seawind 1000) by Lowell and Rick two of the owners. Also on the trip was Lowell’s childhood friend Murril. In what was certainly the quickest arrival/departure we pulled into Puerto Penasco around 1:00pm and the next morning at 6:30am were on our way. It helps that Lowell had all the boat prep and a good chunk of the shopping done before leaving Phoenix.
The winds the night before were quite gusty and the seas, while not looking terrible, did not look inviting. However, overnight the wind backed a bit and the seas mellowed. Our day began with just enough wind to keep the sails full but 75% power on the engines. It was comfortable and at least at the beginning we were all happy to be motoring along. Mother nature gradually built the winds and after a few hours we killed the engine and cruised around at 7ish knots/hour. Not to shabby. Through the mid-afternoon the wind built to 22 knots (apparent) with following seas of 1.5 meters. Gato Loco handled them well and the miles clicked off at a good pace as we went from 7.7 to 11.1 surfing down waves.
Interesting conversations were had. Murril started great conversation asking why we love sailing. For me it was the self-reliance and how sailing forced you to disconnect and slow down. Sitting watching the water slide under the hulls and listening to the crash of the waves around you. For Rick, he finds sailing to be the most relaxing time in life and provides complete freedom. Just 11 short hours later we pulled into Puerto Lobos to drop the hook and caught a beautiful sunset with dolphins performing for us. Simply perfect.
Yay! Back in the Sea and back on a Seawind!
We’re here in PE now, planning to head off for a little local exploration on Saturday, back the 3rd or morning of the 4th. We’ll see you then! Enjoy!
Can’t wait to see you both!
Did Murril raise that question while he was seasick? :-).
He was on the road to recovery at that point 🙂